Sunday, March 20, 2005

Ferbey vs Martin. Who's got the gloves?

Could there be two skips who hate each other more than Ferbey and Martin? It's tough to find, out there on the ice. A sport that's typically considered a gentleman's sport. So the boxing gloves may not be necessary, as they will abide by the rules and it's not like you'll ever see these two actually beat each other up. Except in the media.

The teams. Well, if you know anything about curling, ya know the Ferbey Four. David Nedohin, Randy Ferbey, Scott Pfeiffer and Marcel Roque.

Both teams quite talented. It's interesting, you watch Randy in the Brier and he's chatting with the other skips. Today, silence between the two skips. Is there too much made of the rivalry between the teams? Or moreso, between the skips? After the WCT split from Curl Canada, the two teams didn't play against each other for a few years. Even now, they rarely end up on the same sheet of ice playing against each other.

I'd like to see Martin win it. Not that this matters, Martin now has his trials berth. A good thing since they are the silver medalists from the last Olympics. Besides, when you think of the top teams in Canada, you can't help but include the top Money winner on the cash circuit. And Kevin Martin is that.

This game should be a real battle on the ice. If both teams are curling as well as they should be, the winner will be deserving. And the fans will get to see some great shots. Like the last rock angle-raise double Martin performed perfectly in the second end to score his two.

Ok, me, watching curling has always been bad. Yes, yesterday with Kleibrink and Betker playing in the final, it was harder for me. After all, that's a game I could actually be in. And would've been in if I'd just taken my curling a little more seriously back when I moved to Calgary. But I didn't. I took some time off and got soft ;) I know what's involved in curling at that level. God knows I have 3 years of curling camp and my coaching certificate to show for my dreams at one point. However, with my knee, do I want to get to the point that Don Bartlett's at? Between ends, he's lying on the floor between the sheets thanks to severe back problems.

LOL, yeah, I'm not going to try to curl competitively because of my knee. Uh huh. Sure, it's a good excuse if I can't make it - "well, you know my knee caused me a lot of problems." But let's be honest, I just need to strengthen those muscles and lose some weight and it's all good. Or should be.

Fourth end, Ferbey throws one in the house, Martin hits it. LOL, nothing like doing the unexpected to throw the other team off a bit. First comment from Nedohin, "I didn't think he'd hit it!"

Whoever compared curling with chess never watched these two teams play. It's one thing to compare the strategic positioning of stones early in the end to a game like chess where you're fighting for position and the best angles. But once you get to Ferbey and Walchuk and the extreme peel weights they can throw to move those stone and make the opposition pay for that slight mistake in lining stones up, any comparisons to chess are gone.

And from Dec 3-11, I get to sit in the 14th row in the Halifax Metro Centre watching these teams do their things. The Brier fields may be tough, but the Olympic trials don't limit the teams to provincial boundaries. Three teams from Alberta alone competing in the trials. Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and John Morris. Every cent spent on that trip will be worth it. Happy Birthday to me.

The fifth end is going to be a big blanked end. Somehow they started running rocks and the Ferbey team is not happy with the clean end. Ouch, Martin missed the last shot and fails to blank the end.

Ok, well, there isn't much to comment on in htis game. Pretty standard stuff. Good game, but... Besides, the posts where I pick on me are much more entertaining.